Simply Charlotte Mason — Charlotte Mason method homeschool helps.

Last week we started a new series discussing the Charlotte Mason methods we can use to evaluate, or assess, what our children are learning. If you missed that introduction, you can read it on our SCM Blog.

Today let’s talk about perhaps the most well-known of those assessment methods: narration. In its basic form, narration is retelling in your own words. Such a method may sound easy enough — and in some ways it is a simple and natural method — but it also requires a good grasp of the subject matter. [Continue reading The Charlotte Mason Method of Narration …]

As we wrap up a school year and plan for the next one, the question lurks in the back of our minds: How much does my child remember?

Some assessments are built right in to the subject, like math and spelling. You can tell right away how much your child remembers by watching him solve an equation or spell a dictation exercise.

But what about history, geography, science, and other subjects that we simply read together? How do we find out whether the child is remembering what we’ve read? [Continue reading How Much Does My Child Remember? …]

Maybe you can relate. When my children were younger, we would always run out of time to do hands-on projects. By the time we got out all the materials and cleared a space for the activity, we had about ten minutes to work on it before we had to begin cleaning up. How frustrating! [Continue reading A Project Week Idea …]

Do you feel like a cloud is hanging over your head this summer? I don’t mean a typical rain cloud; I mean a cloud called “Planning.”

Sometimes that planning cloud casts a little shadow over all our activities. We know we have to deal with it sometime, but it’s so easy to push off planning to another day. [Continue reading A CM Planning Getaway …]

We had a great time in Iowa the past two weeks. It was so good to meet all of you Iowa CMers! And while we were there, I was able to finish the next book of daily lesson plans: Joshua through Malachi & Ancient Greece. [Continue reading New Joshua through Malachi & Ancient Greece Book …]

We are in Iowa this week getting ready for the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators’ conference Friday and Saturday, June 6 and 7, in Des Moines. You can find the details on the NICHE site.

Sonya will present a habits workshop, Smooth and Easy Days, based on our book Laying Down the Rails on Saturday at 11:15 AM. (As always, check the schedule at the conference for any last-minute shuffling.) Come learn why habits are so powerful, which habits Charlotte Mason encouraged parents to focus on, and lots of practical ideas for how to cultivate those good habits.

We’ll also have the new Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education book and DVD available for you to get your hands on. Those of you who can’t make the conference can still download a sample of the book from our site.

We’re eager to meet all of you Iowa CMers, so be sure to stop by the SCM booth and say hello to Sonya and her husband John. We would love to see you there!

We hope that you found the planning series helpful. We’re very pleased to announce that our new Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education book and DVD are now available on our Web site. We’ve taken all the goodies from the planning series and added even more practical tips, ideas, and worksheets to help you plan your best year ever. [Continue reading New Planning Book and DVD …]

We’re pleased to announce several new features on the CM Organizer and CM Bookfinder are now up and running. Here’s a quick overview:

• Daily Journal note

  CM Organizer users asked for it, and here it is. With this new feature you can add a general note about the day without tying it to a specific resource or assignment.

• Check Your Local Library feature

  Nobody asked for this one, but we think it’s really neat! Use this automatic link in the CM Bookfinder to check if a resource is available at a library near you.

• Some rearranging and “spiffing up”

  We’ve moved a few things and given them a fresh new look in order to prepare for more upcoming upgrades. Stay tuned!

Take a look and let us know what you think.

We’ve all seen those looks: the glazed-over eyes, the dulled expressions, the partly-concealed yawns. Let’s face it, sometimes our children just “check out” during the school day. Are those dull wits an unavoidable part of homeschooling, or is there something we can do in our planning to encourage “fresh wits”? Charlotte Mason had a great suggestion. [Continue reading The Secret to Fresh Wits …]

Certainly one of the biggest challenges facing a homeschool mom is trying to teach with little ones underfoot. You might have laid out the best plans in the world, but those plans might never become a reality if you fail to consider the preschoolers in your home. [Continue reading Preschoolers in the Mix …]